Communication devices, such as mobile two-way radios utilized in public safety vehicles, often include a plurality of user interface features. When operating in public safety environments, a mobile radio having a good user interface is extremely important.
The available surface area for controls on a vehicular mobile radio is limited, making the accommodation of numerous control knobs, keys, and switches difficult. Oftentimes, the user needs to be able to manipulate radio functions while performing other tasks, such as driving or attending to emergency care, and as such the use of numerous controls and separation of related controls may lead to confusion or distraction. Additionally, the vehicular mobile radio must often be operated during vehicular motion and vibration making the ability to manipulate controls even more difficult.
During mission critical applications it is very important to easily identify the operating mode of the mobile radio and to make adjustments to the operating mode as necessary.
Accordingly, there an improved user interface for a vehicular mobile radio is highly desirable.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.